There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves, on both the right and left sides of the body. They deal with sensory and motor systems of the head and neck and have direct access to the brain. 

Cranial nerves

There are 31 pairs of spinal nerves that branch out from the spine at regularly spaced intervals corresponding to the vertebrae. Each nerve consists of two functional branches, or roots, and serves as a conduit for both incoming sensory information and outgoing motor commands. The spine is also categorized in five segments
- cervical (neck)
- thoracic (trunk)
- lumbar (lower back)
- sacral (pelvic)
- coccygeal (bottom)

Spinal Nerves

The main pathway through the body that controls movement and recieves sensory information. There are two anatomical groups of nerves that are part of the system - cranial nerves and spinal nerves. 

Google

Grinnell College

The peripheral nervous system extends throughout the body. It consists of nerves, which are bundles of axons. There are motor nerves and sensory nerves. The systems are devided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.

Peripheral Nervous System

The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) is a major division of the nervous system consisting of nerves located in the periphery of the body, which includes everything outside the central nervous system (CNS). These thick bundles of axons carry messages back and forth between the CNS and the body's muscles, organs, and senses.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Breedlove, S. & Watson, N. (2017). Behavioral neuroscience, eighth edition. Oxford University Press.

Behavioral Neuroscience 8th Edition

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Somatic Nervous System

Nerves are defined as thick bundles of axons that form the primary structure of the Peripheral Nervous System. They function as two-way superhighways for communication, containing thousands of both efferent (motor) and afferent (sensory) axons to carry messages back and forth between the Central Nervous System and the body's muscles, organs, and sensory systems.

Nerves

The autonomic nervous system, a division of the peripheral nervous system, operates largely unconsciously to regulate bodily functions. It primarily controls the body's internal organs and glands and is further divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After